A/N: A day later than I hoped to get this up but I had a idea sent to me by a reader and wanted to incorporate some of that into the chapter. I hope I did it justice! Please feel free to send any ideas or requests of things you'd like to see in the story, I'm always happy to give new ideas a shot.
That summer was busy. Keely, though only going into her junior year, was already starting to think about college. When we took a trip to visit Andrew's sister and our BAU family in June, we made a day trip up north to visit both Cornell and Syracuse University. Neither Andrew nor I loved the idea of Keely being so far away, but we both wanted what was best for her and promised to support her.
When we got back to Denver after our east coast vacation, conditioning for volleyball had started up for Keely, in addition to the summer tennis tournaments she was playing in. Stella and I spent most of our summer days either out with Derek, Hank and Jace or at their pool, our spouses and Keely joining when they could. Stella grew like a weed that summer, shedding the remainder of her baby fat and officially morphing into a toddler. Her babbles became far more comprehensive words, which I attributed to her desire to mimic everything little Hank Morgan said and did – those two were peas in a pod.
On the second Saturday in July, Andrew left the house with our newly minted 16-year-old for her first driving lesson. The first several drives went well, including Keely's first highway drive. Days later, however, they returned from a parallel parking lesson both silent and fuming.
I raised a brow at Andrew as he approached and handed me the keys. "She's all yours," he said exasperatedly, holding his hands up in defeat.
Glancing at Keely, she held a pleading look in her eyes that told me all I needed to know. Without a word, I nodded and walked out to the car, climbing into the passenger seat and waiting for Keely to follow. Leaving Andrew with Stella, we embarked on take two of parallel parking lessons. Keely's first attempts were rough at best and I could see where she and Andrew probably started butting heads, but with a few tips, one being to simply take a breath and focus, she quickly started improving.
The night before school started, Andrew and I surprised Keely with a used slate grey Sonata. The excited scream she let out surely spooked the neighbors but the look on her face was worth it. She cried happy tears and enveloped Andrew and I in a hug filled with gratitude. It felt strange the next morning, Andrew staying at home a few minutes later than usual since he didn't have to drive Keely to school.
Slowly but surely, as warm weather faded and autumn came, we fell into a busy but happy rhythm. The first fall I'd been in Denver was spent acclimating to new territory and preparing for Stella's arrival. Last year, Andrew had been home for several weeks recovering from injuries sustained on the job. This year was different, normal, and I relished in the normalcy. I'd found a comfort in domestic life, in days spent chasing an ever-curious toddler, in nights checking over
Spanish homework and English papers, in weekend play dates and volleyball games and the occasional date night. Perhaps someday when Stella was in school, I'd go back to work, but for now I was content.
####
In mid-October, a wrench was thrown in our happy rhythm. Andrew came home early from work one day, a beautiful bouquet of orange daisies in hand. Glimpsing at the clock on the stove, I furrowed my brows in confusion.
"These are for you," he greeted as he approached me in the kitchen, handing me the bouquet and leaning down to peck my lips.
"Thank you! They're beautiful," I replied, inhaling the wonderful floral scent. Removing the cellophane, I quickly found a vase to put the flowers in and added some water, setting the arrangement on the kitchen island. "What's the occasion?" I finally asked, turning back to face him.
"For your birthday," he smiled.
"My birthday was a few days ago and both you and your daughter already spoiled me. What's the real reason?" I asked again, narrowing my eyes at him.
He sighed, reaching out for my hand and leading us to the couch. "A peace offering," he said as we sat.
"For?" I pushed, slowly getting perturbed by the lack of information he was giving.
"I'm going undercover," he started. My face immediately fell, hating the mere mention of such a thing. "It should only be for three weeks, max. I can't tell you the whole story but long story short I was mistaken for a different agent and I let it get to far and now… if there's any hope of this being successful it has to be me."
"I don't like it."
He frowned, squeezing my hand and rubbing his thumb along the top. "I know, I'm so sorry, love. I've been trying to find a way out, I have, but the higher ups want it done and I'm out of time."
I took a deep breath and thought for a long moment. "Ok," I finally said. "I know you, and I know the job, and I know you wouldn't be going if you had the choice. I don't want to make you feel more guilty about it but you better promise me you're coming home, unharmed."
"Three weeks, max. I promise." Tugging on the hand he was still holding, he pulled me closer, wrapping his arms around me. Sinking into his embrace, I sighed.
"When do you leave?"
"In the morning. Steve has set up an encrypted email that I should be able to access once or twice a week. He also promised to check in frequently, assure you I'm ok."
"Thank you," I smiled, curling in closer and turning my head to kiss his jaw.
Andrew broke the news to Keely over dinner that night. She took it surprisingly well, saying it would be like when he was still in DC, but requested a family movie night for his last night home. Andrew happily complied despite it being a school night, holding us all close as we settled in to watch Hook.
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It had been nearly two weeks since Andrew left to go undercover. Keely seemed to take everything in stride and was extra helpful around the house. Her boyfriend Ethan was over more frequently, as well as Derek and rest of the Morgan crew, providing distraction from having Andrew gone. Stella asked for my daddy at some point almost every night but was young enough not to fully comprehend how much time had passed.
Andrew managed to send us messages a few times a week via the encrypted email Steve had set up and as promised Steve checked in every few days to ensure us that Andrew was fine and everything was on track with the op.
Running the household on my own was chaotic, at best, but the girls and I were making do. One evening after getting Stella to sleep, I flipped on the tv in the bedroom as I folded several loads of laundry. The Thomas Crown Affair happened to be playing, which was one of my favorite movies, but watching the tension and incredibly sexy love scenes between Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo was putting me in the mood. Barring the first two months after Stella's birth, this was the first time Andrew and I had gone more than a week without being together since I'd moved to Denver.
Eventually shutting the tv off and putting away the clean clothes, I crawled into bed. Falling asleep was easy enough after another busy week but my mind continued to torture me with x-rated dreams of my currently undercover secret agent man. Waking up to a slickness between my thighs, I gave up hope of trying to fall back asleep without getting off first. Reaching deep into my nightstand, I pulled out my trusty vibrator, hiked up my nightgown and went to work.
I was nearly there, moaning softly as the toy pulsated between my legs when I swore I heard a door open. Immediately turning off the vibrator, I tossed it to the side as I listened intently. Sure enough, I could hear the faint sounds of movement in the house. Keely was at a sleepover for the night and Stella wasn't old enough to be sneaking around. Instinctually reaching for the handgun in my nightstand and coming up empty, I silently cursed the fact that I was no longer a federal agent. Instead, I moved quietly to find Andrew's baseball bat from the closet before creeping out into the living room. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw a figure moving in the kitchen and was just about to speak up when said figure hit the light switch and set a bag down by the island.
"Andrew?" I hissed.
He quickly turned his head and furrowed his brow. "Emily?" He asked, looking from me to the wooden bat raised in my hands. I followed his faze, looking up at the bat and immediately setting it down against the couch, making my way over to him eagerly.
He circled his arms around me, holding me close and releasing a deep breath. "I missed you," I said, my voice muffled against his chest.
"I missed you, too, love." His voice was tired and I pulled away only enough to look up at him. He had dark bags under his eyes and his scruff was grown out longer than usual. Reaching a hand up to his cheek, I kissed him sweetly.
"You look exhausted," I whispered as we parted, rubbing my thumb against his cheekbone. He simply nodded. "Are you ok?"
"I am now," he smiled faintly. I could tell from his words that something hadn't gone as planned and desperately wanted to ask questions but I knew he needed rest. The important thing was that he was home and safe.
"Come on," I said, reaching for his hand and leading him to the bedroom. He shed the majority of his clothes, crawling into bed in just his boxers and t-shirt.
We both sighed contentedly as we settled into each other's arms, Andrew dropping a kiss to my hair as I rested my head against his chest. I'd entirely forgotten what I was doing before he got home until Andrew shifted, and then shifted again.
"Is everything ok?" I asked sleepily
"Yeah, I think I'm laying on something though," he said. As he reached under his back, it hit me what he would find. My eyes widened and I sat up, cringing as he pulled out the vibrator from underneath him. "My, my Mrs. Mendoza. Been busy while I was gone have we?" He teased, his voice suddenly light and filled with energy.
"I just… the Thomas Crown Affair was on earlier and… and then I had this dream and I just… and you weren't here and…" I fumbled, feeling guilty for having tried to get off when he surely hadn't had the same opportunity in the past 12 days.
"You're adorable," Andrew smirked.
I laughed, pushing him lightly for making fun of my rambling. "If it makes you feel better, I didn't finish. Got a little distracted by an intruder in my kitchen."
At that, Andrew immediately rolled us over, laying on top of me and holding himself up with one hand beside my head. Still holding the vibrator in his other hand, he trailed it slowly down my chest but didn't turn it on. "Do you want to get off?"
Well damn, I thought. I'd been content to go to sleep, simply happy to be in his arms again, knowing Andrew needed to rest. But now…
"Yes," I gasped as he clicked on the toy and moved it towards my center.
"You're so hot, baby. Missed you so much," Andrew whispered as he nipped at my earlobe.
"Mm, Andrew," I moaned, one hand gripping his bicep and the other the back of his neck to pull his lips to mine. With another click, the intensity of the vibrations increased and it didn't take long before stars were erupting behind my eyes. Andrew set the toy aside and stroked his hand along my hip and up my side as I caught my breath.
"I needed that," I sighed contentedly.
"Glad to be of assistance," Andrew smiled, pecking my lips before settling back down beside me.
I frowned. "What about you?
"You can make it up to me in the morning," Andrew replied, pulling the covers over us.
"You got it, baby." Snuggling back into his side, I held him close. "It's really good to have you home," I whispered as we drifted off to sleep.